By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Rotary Club of Emerald and District held its Pride of Workmanship Awards at the Paradise Hotel in Clematis recently – thanking and paying tribute to those from a wide cross-section of the community for their contributions to the local area.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin, Cardinia Shire Mayor Jodie Owen and Ranges Ward councillor Leticia Wilmott attended the presentation evening alongside a host of other guests including Rotary District 9810 governor David Tolstrup.
They helped present a range of awards across the education, volunteering, community and business sectors.
The McLeod Murphy Memorial Fund Annual Scholarship was also presented to local student Oscar Hulbert.
The memorial fund provides scholarships in the form of cash grants to tertiary students from Emerald and the surrounding region who’re undertaking studies in medical-related fields.
Each recipient of the award is presented with $2000 – $1000 for one year of study, and a further $1000 a year later if they continue down that path.
Last year, Holly Latter was the recipient, and in 2016 she’s continuing in her third year of a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Paramedicine at Australian Catholic University in Ballarat.
This year’s new recipient of the McLeod Murphy Award is Oscar Hulbert, who completed Year 12 at Emerald Secondary College in 2015 with an ATAR of 91.95. He’s currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University and dreams of becoming a surgeon.
The Pride of Workmanship Awards recognised a wide cross section of people from across the community.
Dennis Fuller was nominated by Emerald Primary School for all he does for the school community; likewise bus driver Kerry Champness by Cockatoo Primary School for everything he does there.
Heart and soul husband and wife duo Kevin and Merle Mathisen were honoured for their contributions to their Gembrook community.
The current stationmaster at Gembrook’s Puffing Billy station, Kevin has been a member of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society for 55 years and was awarded a Gold Pass in 1992. An avid fun runner, he dreamed up the Great Train Race in 1980 and the Kids Fun Run with Thomas in 2002. Since moving with their family to Gembrook in 1998, Merle has become immersed in the community – everything from the church, to the market, to the craft group, to the township committee and Puffing Billy. An avid gardener, Merle has a specific interest in the environment and is an active member of the Friends of Gembrook Park, the Southern Ranges Environment Alliance, and the Say No to Ivy campaign. Over the years, Merle has worked in most Puffing Billy gardens but now concentrates on the environs of the station in Gembrook.
This year’s other Pride of Workmanship Award winners include Amanda Flint from Cockatoo Kindergarten, Belinda Anderson from Emerald Village Pharmacy, Susan Witty and Debbie Kestles from Falcone and Adams Lawyers, Roger Neal and Melanie Jackson from Emerald Glades, and Dev Shrestha from the Emerald Commonwealth Bank.
Rotarian Kristine Ash was also presented with a Paul Harris Fellow award by the Emerald and District Rotary Club for her tireless efforts in electronic media – specifically gathering online donations through the Kids Fun Run With Thomas to go towards the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Glen Waverley.
